The personality of the Holy Spirit

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7-8);

“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot” (Acts 8:29);

“While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them” (Acts 10:19-20);

“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:2);

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13);

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [demons]”(1 Timothy 4:1).

The Holy Spirit hears

for Jesus said about Him:

“Whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak” (John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit sees

for the seven eyes which the Lamb has (John saw these seven eyes in a vision while he was on the isle of Patmos)

“are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6) or, as the prophet Zechariah said, “the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10).

The Holy Spirit has a mind

for it is written:

“And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27).

The word here translated ‘mind’ is a comprehensive word including the ideas of thought, feeling and purpose.

The Holy Spirit has a will

for it is written:

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11 – NKJV).

The Holy Spirit has an awareness of goodness

for the apostles and elders wrote to the believing Gentiles who were in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well” (Acts 15:28-29).

The Holy Spirit loves

for Paul wrote to the Romans:

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30).

The Holy Spirit searches and knows

as it is written:

“The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).

The Holy Spirit reveals

as it is written in the Gospel according to Luke:

“And it was revealed unto him [Simeon] by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26).

The Holy Spirit teaches

as it is written:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…” (John 14:26),

and also:

“And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say” (Luke 12:11-12),

and again:

“You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth” (Nehemiah 9:20 – NKJV),

and again:

“Which things [the things that have been freely given to us by God] also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

The Holy Spirit guides

as it is written:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit prays

as it is written:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27 – NKJV).

The Holy Spirit convinces

for Jesus said about Him:

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (John 16:8-11).

The Holy Spirit regenerates

as it is written:

“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:5-6).

The Holy Spirit brings the words of the Lord to our remembrance

as it is written:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

The Holy Spirit makes men overseers

as Paul said to the elders of the church of Ephesus:

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

The Holy Spirit commands

as it is written:

“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:1-3).

The Holy Spirit forbids believers to do certain things on certain occasions

as it is written:

“Now when they [the apostles] had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6 – NKJV).

The Holy Spirit does not permit believers to go to certain places on certain occasions

as it is written

“After they [the apostles] had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them” (Acts 16:7 – NKJV).

The Holy Spirit can be known

for Jesus said to His disciples:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).

The Holy Spirit can be grieved

for it is written:

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30)

and again:

“But they [the Israelites] rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them” (Isaiah 63:10 – NKJV).

The Holy Spirit can be resisted

for Stephen said before the Sanhedrin:

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51).

The Holy Spirit can be tempted

for Peter said to Sapphira:

“How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” (Acts 5:9).

The Holy Spirit can be lied to

for Peter said to Ananias:

“Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3).

The Holy Spirit can be spoken against

as it is written:

“And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:32).

As you can see, the Holy Spirit has personal characteristics and does things which only a person can do. An impersonal force cannot speak or hear, nor can it be lied to, spoken against, grieved, tempted, etc.